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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

For years, American comedians have shied away from satirizing the 44th President of the United States, either finding him unfunny or buying into his too cool for schooling propaganda. Now that there is blood in the water after the Benghhazi bungling, President Barack Obama is the target of ridicule from the likes late night funny men like NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno.

Halloween originally was a pagan holiday that likely linked to the a feast for the Celtic God Samhain, which was Old Irish for “Summer’s End”. Other historians associated it with Paternalia, the feast for the dead to commemorate Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruits and seeds. Either way, the festivals recognized the fruits of the harvest and the unsettling change to the fallow fields of winter. Catholics tried to convert the pagan holiday into Halloween (Old Scottish for “All Hallows Eve”) in the 16th Century which evoked influences from purgatory.

Some traditions of celebrating Halloween readily spread through North America, like going door to door “guising”, but in the New World children did not beg for sustenance for All Saints Day or prayers for All Souls Day but “trick or treating” in costumes to get sweets. As Erma Bombeck wryly put it “A grandmother pretends she doesn’t know who you are on Halloween”. Back in Scotland, it was a tradition to carve images in turnips. Those celebrating Halloween in the New World continued this tradition but they used the more plentiful and larger pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns.

In the last twenty years, Halloween has also transitioned to being a secular pagan festival for adults, as it is the third busiest night at bars behind New Years Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. So many adults now delight in donning costumes and spending an evening posing in another guise.

Surrealism is a style that juxtaposes familiar subjects in unconventional settings, hence it lends itself to the fantasy and phantasmagoria of Halloween. Those who are not Salvador Dalí devotees might conclude that much of his oeuvre was Halloween-esque. As Dalí himself once mused: “I have Dalinian thought: the one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous.”

Military Honor Guard on duty at the Tomb of the Unknown during Hurricane Sandy

As most people batten down the hatches Between-the-Beltways for the Frankenstorm Hurricane Sandy hitting the Eastern Seaboard, a military honor guard remains vigilant at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery. This is a tradition which the military has consistently kept since 1937, which both honors the dead in battle and embodies the American warrior compunction to strive to never leave their dead behind.

If only everyone up and down the military hierarchy shared this ethic of honorable perseverance for their brothers-in-arms.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

When contemplating Madonna’s almost thirty year pop music career, esteemed music critic Robert M. Grant, has observed that Madonna’s success: "certainly not [from] outstanding natural talent. As a vocalist, musician, dancer, songwriter, or actress, Madonna's talents seem modest." But the Material Girl is adept at exploiting the talents of others to further her career. This is quite evident in Madonna’s current MDNA tour where she has generated publicity by pushing outrageous antics supposedly inspired by others.

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Throughout her current tour, Madonna has been doing a political rant intended to support President Obama's re-election. New Orleans was not as fertile ground for Madonna’s pro-Obama shock shtick. When Madonna launched into her de rigeur political rant for this tour, it was anticipated and had more than a mixed reception.

Madonna polled the crowd “'Who's registered to vote?'... I don't care who you vote for as long as you vote for Obama. That was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd at the New Orleans Arena. Taking that cue, Madonna retorted: “Seriously, I don't care who you vote for ... Do not take this privilege for granted. Go vote..” Some supporter of Obama she is, but then again Madonna usually casts off some supporters as she works the stage. The Daily Mail (UK) reported that some walked out after Madonna’s political rant. Considering the price of tickets for the show, it is dubious that they were rushing to the ballot box.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Goodly, Silverstein and Partners ad agency from San Francisco has launched and campaign "The Future Children Project" to re-elect President Barack Obama. The public relations positioning claims: Re-electing President Obama is a momentous decision that will require every single voter. What would the children of the future say if we let them down this November?

Considering the aforementioned objective, one wonders why Goodly, Silverstein & Partners would release a starkly filmed, épater la bourgeoisie ad out of the mouths of babes at this time.

The lyrics of this somber song sung by kids are both trite and trying:

Imagine an America
Where strip mines are fun and free
Where gays can be fixed
And sick people just die
And oil fills the sea.

We don’t have to pay for freeways! Our schools are good enoughGive us endless warsOn foreign shoresAnd lots of Chinese stuff.

We’re the children of the futureAmerican through and throughBut something happened to our countryAnd we’re kinda blaming you

We haven’t killed all the polar bears
But it’s not for lack of trying
Big Bird is sacked
The Earth is cracked
And the atmosphere is frying

Congress went home early
They did their best we know
You can’t cut spending
With elections pending
Unless it’s welfare dough.

We’re the children of the future
American through and through
But something happened to our country
And we’re kinda blaming you.

Find a park that is still open
And take a breath of poison air
They foreclosed your place
To build a weapon in space
But you can write off your au pair.

It’s a little awkward to tell you
But you left us holding the bag
When we look around
The place is all dumbed down
And the long term’s kind of a drag.

We’re the children of the future
American through and through
But something happened to our country
And yeah, we’re blaming you.

You did your best
You failed the test.

Mom and Dad
We’re blaming you!

However the deliver is zombie-like. When the lyrics mention "au pairs" and "foreclosures", it gives an impression that the innocent singers were given agiprop to mouth. It reminds observers of the shameless way that socialist dictatorships shamelessly exploit children to sell their workers paradise. Moreover, it calls to mind many instances during the Obama reign when youths are mobilized by teachers to spout Obamaisms.

One of then candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)'s promises when he ran for President in 2008 was that he would create five million green jobs.

So as part of the Feburary 2009 stimulus (a.k.a. Porkulous) of $847 Billion, almost 6%, or $50 Billion, was earmarked for shovel ready green energy, to be monitored by Vice President Joe Biden. That was a pretty significant "investment" in energy from solar, wind, geothermal and maybe unicorn flatulence.

Despite anemic job growth during the Obama so called Recovery, America has come nowhere near creating five million green jobs. But to justify what they have Representative Darrell Issa's (R-CA 49th) Government Reform and Oversight Committee hearing in June 2012 explored how the Obama Department of Labor defines "green jobs".

My favorites were floor sweeper at a Green manufacturer, antiques dealer and an Oil Lobbyist who advocates green issues.

Many critics of Porkulous suspected that it was an unwise expenditure from the Federal Government that acted like a slush fund for the Obama Administration's favorite groups and contributors. The cronyism and corruption in green transportation can be seen in Amtrak, supposed High Speed Rail projects and most pointedly in green energy projects (FutureGen coal gassification and Solyndra).

During the First Presidential Debate in Denver, Republican Presidential nominee Governor Mitt Romney asserted that President Obama did not pick just with winners and losers with $90 Billion in tax breaks but that the incumbent picks losers.

Let's see how President Obama's bets on green energy companies have been paying off.

To use the Obama 2012 forward (sic) sounding campaign parlance, are you ready to go all in with your great grandchildren's inheritance or are you going to hedge your bets on November 6th?

Friday, October 26, 2012

Yesterday, the internet blazed with outrage over Obama's puerile politics were epitomized by Lena Dunham's "First Time" internet video to do it for Obama. The message was outrageous enough but I was not hip enough to know that Ms. Dunham was the star of HBO's Girls, which even fans complain about Dunham having too much sex.

It did not take long for the "First Time" video to be mercilessly parodied. Steven Crowder captures Dunham's je ne se quoi with his video "Vote # More Free Crap".

Since politics is my favorite contact sport and this is the time for the championship match, I was interested in the chart that tried to quantify political persuasions based on sports affinity.

It was no surprise to have WNBA fans and European Soccer fans skew to the left. After First Lady Michelle Obama was booed at a NASCAR event promoting assistance to military families, it is not shocking that automotive racing fans are driven to the right.

But the way other sports fans political affinities fell were somewhat unexpected. I would not have naturally associated Ultimate Fighting or Extreme Sports as have such Democrat fans. It took me off guard that LPGA followers and Olympic aficionados would be reliable Republicans.

Considering the popularity of football, it seems natural for politicians to make appeals to gridiron fans. Both President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney want to make appearances on the NFL Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints the night before the general election.

Mr. Obama has made several appearances on MNF, but his hallmark was in late 2006 as the then newly elected first term Senator from Illinois was toying with running for the Oval Office.

Here's hoping that the sentiments of the Bleacher Bums from Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois is to mix a sports metaphor (yet apt for Mr. Obama) par for the course.

Republican Presidential Nominee Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) held a rally which drew a crowd of 12,000 supporters in Defiance, Ohio which has only 16,000 residents. One of the highlights of the event was when Meatloaf voiced his support for Governor Romney. This endorsement was capped by a helping of "America the Beautiful" served family style.

Meatloaf's enthusiastic but unconducted warbling seemed reminiscent of Governor Romney's earnest but off tune singing of "America the Beautiful" as portrayed in an Obama 2012 summer attack ad.

Of course, neither right minded crooner is any match for Celebrity-in-Chief Barack Obama did at Showtime at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Maybe a singing career is something that the Maui Wowie can fall back on come January 21st, 2013

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Of late, the Obama 2012 campaign has been seizing on puerile political memes. The killing Big Bird soundbite from the first debate. When threats of a Million Muppet March proved to have no political legs, the Obama Ad Hominem Express shifted to the “Binders of Women” meme from the townhall debate. Little good that did, as Republican Presidential nominee Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) erased the previous 16% gap with women.

How could the wunderkind braintrust from the Chicago office top this? They did not want to wait for the “horse and bayonets” trope from the third debate to play out. So they released: “The First Time” with performance artist Lena Dunham waxing poetically about her first time...voting for Barack Obama.

The sad part of this “First Time” campaign is that it isn’t even original. Barack’s boys copied ads for Russian President Vladimir Putin. So once again, Obama copies European lefties.

Aside from the unabashedly adolescently vulgar appeal for the youth vote, it is astounding how Obama’s campaign seeks the female vote by consistently degrading women. The Binders of Women memo probably produced Beavis and Butthead chortles, as if it was President Bill Jefferson Clinton’s little black book. In reality, the “Binders of Women” referred to outreach that Romney had to qualified female candidates to be part of his gubernatorial administration in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Then there was the Tumblr posting “Vote like your Lady Parts depend on it (because they do)". It was quickly withdrawn after public hue and cry. Consider the objectification involved in the “Lady Parts” appeal. To use the parlance to make a point, I believe that wise women vote with their lady smarts rather than just their lady parts.

Now in its final days, the Obama Campaign comes up with an innuendo ad prompting women to make their first time a good one.

No wonder why the Obamas have been urging everyone to vote early, including your knucklehead friends, per First Lady Michelle Obama.

The puerile politics displayed in their outreach, as well as the Dear Leader labeling his opponent a bullsh**ter in Rolling Stone are signs of serious presidential campaign imploding.

This year’s cycle of Presidential debates have all been influential and informative, but in different ways that one would expect. This is especially true about the slow poison that was passively administered in Boca Raton, Florida...

Everyone expected that the Foreign Policy debate in Boca Raton, Florida would concentrate on the Benghazi blunder and candidates trading barbs. In fact, Boca Raton debate Moderator Bob Schieffer started the candidate forum with a couple of wide open questions about Benghazi seemingly begging for blood to be drawn.

But Mitt Romney did not take the bait. In fact, he pretty much deferred that issue. Later in the forum, Romney expressed support for some of Obama’s foreign policy as he differentiated is own vision to defend democracy and pursue peace through strength.

Many conservatives stomachs churned, suspecting that their standard bearer was blowing it. But after a few rounds of questioning, it dawned on many right-leaning political observers that Romney’s deferential debate performance was what Bill Sammon would call Strategery...

I watched the debate with a bunch of right minded partisans gathered for the Battleground State Talkers Tour event. Assuredly, the audience would have preferred seeing a pugilistic performance from Romney. But in my estimation, Romney’s Boca Raton debate performance was a slow poison for his opposition.

It was not satisfying for someone who’s favorite contact sport is politics, but I think that is was a successful tactic to take. In less than two weeks, it should become clear if the “strategery” was successful in electing the 45th President of the United States.

Today is the liturgical feast day for Pope Blessed John Paul II. It is worth remembering the encouraging words that the new pope uttered during his installation in 1978. The exhortation to "Open the doors wide to Christ" was delivered to a Church which was adjusting to the changes of Vatican II and a world in upheaval.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

During the 30 minute meeting with the 94 year old Reverend Graham and his son Franklin Graham, Mr. Romney asked for their prayers while the elder Graham recognized the Governor's values and high moral convictions.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Ann Romney taped an appearance on ABC's The View. When the visit got serious (4:14 mark of video), panelist Whoopie Goldberg posed a poignant question to the prospective First Lady:

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: As first lady, if you get the job, it’s going to entail a lot of things, and one of those things is going to be talking to the mothers whose children are coming home in bags, you know, from wars. Now, I know -- I believe that your religion doesn’t allow you to go fight.

ANN ROMNEY: No, that's not correct. We have many, many members of our faith that are serving in armed services.

GOLDBERG: Okay, um, I say that because when I read about your husband, what I had read, and maybe you can correct this is that the reason that he didn’t serve in Vietnam was because it was against the religion. That’s what I read.

ROMNEY: No, that's not correct. He was serving his mission and you know my five sons have also served missions. None served in the military.

It seems that Ms. Goldberg confused the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (a.k.a. Mormons) with Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists or other small American Christian pacifist oriented denominations.

Mrs. Romney was astute to highlight all of her sons being called to mission (through their church) which helped mature them and them better citizens. It tacitly acknowledged Mormon culture while accentuating the virtues from the practice.

Perhaps Goldberg was not at all ignorant about Latter Day Saint practice of faith. Her query gave credence to the chicken hawk charge (never served in uniform) as well as implying strange religious practices while conjuring notions of body bags from future American "aggression".

Whoopi's whoopsie strikes me as a ham-handed attempt to play the Mormon card. This sort of ad hominem attack seems like a desperate ploy to bolster a faltering incumbent by scaring unconvicted low-information voters with borderline religious bigotry. It could also have been foray to bog the Romney campaign to explain subtleties of Mormon theology, which can differ with most traditional Christian creeds.

Of course, First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama got comparative softball questions when they were last on the View on September 25th, rather than meet with any world leaders after addressing the United Nations. That was when "Barack" said that he was just eye candy. Yet that fluff View interview still made some important news because Mr. Obama's careful statement about the attack on the Benghazi consulate contradicts the supposed Rose Garden "Act of Terrorism" claim at the Hofstra debate.

Obviously the producers of "The View" were remiss at doing background briefs for their coterie of star chatters. But progressive minds also seemed to have missed the memo from Chicago about now eschewing negative advertising. Karl Rove observed that the Obama campaign has pulled negative ads in swing states and now is only showing positive pieces touting Obama's accomplishments. It seems that the debates have wrecked $100 million negative advertising blitz on opponent Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA). Maybe the Obama campaign is relying upon their media surrogates to continue doing the dirty work as well as the puerile social media Binders of Women meme.

Republican Vice Presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI 1st) was passionate during his acceptance speech at the RNC in Tampa, Florida where he affirmed the importance of individual freedom in the American experience.

The 110 story Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago is the highest building in the Western Hemisphere.

A cowboy in the sky, 74 year old ironworker John Rukavina was doing maintenance on the broadcast antenna on the Willis Tower. To celebrate a job well done, the 60 year veteran followed ironworker traditional unfurled a banner. To everyone's surprise, Rukavina chose to display the Romney banner, which briefly was hung but taken down to prevent potential damage.